Noted Poet Spends Time with, Inspires Highland Park High Students

Noted Poet Spends Time with, Inspires Highland Park High Students

Article excerpt

Shaking and admitting she was a "little bit afraid," Ca'ttia
Thomas told her fellow Highland Park High School students on
Thursday through an original poem it is time they all take a stand
against discrimination directed at all races.

"It kind of hits me hard because I'm a mixed child," the 16-year-
old junior said on Thursday. "I figured I would write about it and
show them we need to be together. It's a deep feeling. It's kind of
personal to me."

In addition to about 75 of Thomas' classmates, nationally-known
poet, author and Chicago activist Malcolm London was in the audience
Thursday to hear her poem entitled, "Racism."

"I was very honored to see that he thought it was a good poem,"
Thomas said. "I really wanted him to hear it, because if he thinks
it's a good poem, it's got to be a good poem."

London, 22, was in the capital city this week after having been
to Highland Park High School last year for the first time. He said
the racial and socioeconomic issues children in East Topeka deal
with are no different from the ones children on the south side of
Chicago are facing.

"Young people have valuable stories to tell," he said. "There are
obstacles that exist that are different in every city and every
place. To be able to travel to connect those and make those bridges
is what I'm happy to be able to do."

London said though racism "isn't a positive thing" to talk about,
talking about it with honesty is the only way progress can be made.

"My role here is to facilitate, as an educator, a space where
young people can be thinking about themselves in a critical way," he
said. "We truly have to be able to have honest conversations in love
and understand that ending racism is a commitment to love."

While London was at Highland Park High School this week, he spoke
during an all-school assembly and participated in an evening
community poetry reading event in the school's media center. He also
held several interactive workshops for language arts students to get
them writing poetry and talking about racism and other aspects of
their young lives. …